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Medical Administration Careers

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What is medical administration?Medical administrators, also known as administrators, keep healthcare offices running efficiently. They perform highly specialized work requiring knowledge of medical terminology and procedures. Administrators assist physicians and medical scientists with reports, record simple medical histories, arrange for patients to be hospitalized, and order supplies. They must also be familiar with insurance rules, billing practices, and hospital or laboratory procedures.

What training is required for a medical administration career?While entry-level medical administrative positions may be filled by those possessing a high school diploma, medical office administrators require specialized medical adminstration training programs. Training may include courses in medical terminology, medical administration, medical office procedures, records and database management, or medical coding. Career colleges or community colleges typically grant Associate degrees or certificates in medical administration training.

Where can the training lead?Medical office administration can lead to a career in hospitals and medical offices. The work involves sitting for long periods of time and extensive keyboarding. Job risks include eyestrain, stress and repetitive motion ailments such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Office work for a medical administrator may offer flexible working arrangements, including part-time work or telecommuting – especially if the job requires extensive computer use.

What skills should a medical administrator have?Medical administrators should be proficient in keyboarding with good spelling, punctuation and grammar. In addition, a medical administrator should be organized, with good communication and customer service skills. Increasing office automation and organizational restructuring will continue to make medical administrators more productive in coming years. Computers, e-mail, scanners and voice message systems are now standard workplace tools necessary to medical administration.

Bureau of Labor Statistics data:According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 373,000 people were employed as medical administrators in 2004. While the number of administrative assistant jobs is projected to decline, the need for medical administrators is expected to continue in the next decade.

Medical office administrators earned on average between $21,980 and $32,690. The highest 10 percent earned over $39,140. Salaries reflect differences in skill, experience and level of responsibility. Certification in this field usually is rewarded by a higher salary.

The salary range for Medical Administration begins around $21,980 and usually tops out around $32,690, with a mean in the neighborhood of $27,335. This is about 59% lower than the national average for annual salaries.

In order to qualify for most Medical Administration positions, you typically need to have a Certification or higher.

Data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics

The growth outlook for Medical Administration careers is estimated at about 16% while the estimated growth for all career fields over that same span is at about 10.12%. Over the next six years, Medical Administration jobs are expected to grow at a 58% higher rate than the national average for annual salaries.

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